Meditation is a powerful tool to manage mental health, build concentration, and tackle negative emotions like anxiety, anger, and depression. Studies suggest meditation can reduce stress, build self-awareness, promote emotional health, and help you sleep better.
But unless we become part of a group with common interests or hire a professional coach, there is less motivation to keep up with the habit despite our busy schedules. A much more affordable and accessible way to develop the habit and practice meditation is through meditation apps.
The onset of the pandemic catalyzed the spread and use of these apps in India and other parts of the world. A survey by the Indian Journal of Psychiatry found that 40% of respondents showed anxiety and/or depressive symptoms post the pandemic. As a result, more Indians seek wellness solutions online or meditate using an app today than before 2020.
The last few years have seen an increasing number of home-grown mindfulness and meditation apps catering to Indians. This article lists the top 6 Indian meditation apps, their overview, and a set of features.
See our list of top mental health apps.
(The criteria we used to shortlist the names are Playstore app ratings, customer reviews, in-app features, user experience, and more. )
ThinkRight.me: meditate daily
App ratings: 4.7
Downloads: 10 lakh+
Reviews: 17.6k
ThinkRight.me is a popular home-grown meditation and mindfulness app. The app offers holistic activities to boost positivity, mindfulness, meditation, and improved mental health. The app is the brainchild of JetSynthesys, a known digital entertainment and technology company.
You can also find some well-known faces, including BK Sister Shivani (Spiritual Guide), Vidisha Kaushal (Meditation Coach), Nishtha Bijlani(Yoga Coach), Abhishek Nailwal (Music Composer and Meditation Coach) and Sabrina Merchant (Certified Kids and Teen Yoga Expert) guiding you throughout your meditation journey within the app.
Some of the features of the app include:
- Personalized wellness journey
- Daily affirmation journey and sleep retreat
- Meditation tools such as chant timer, breath timer, and meditation timer
- Extensive library of meditation courses
- Gratitude Journal
- Music and sound section
- Dedicated kids section
The app acts as a guide to let you take charge of your emotions and think right. The app comes in both free and paid versions.
Idanim: medidate, sleep, relax
App ratings: 4.4
Downloads: 50k+
Reviews: 218
Idanim app is a meditation app created for business professionals specifically. The app provides 1000+ guided meditations and comprehensive tools to help you with insomnia, stress, and anxiety. It also has sleep stories that help you relax and have a good night’s sleep.
The free version of the app is impressive and provides multiple app features:
- Live meditation guided by experts
- Personalized mediation based on your mood
- Multiple filters to choose meditations
- Nature sounds, interval, and ending bells to practice meditation on your own
- Simple and user-friendly dashboards
- Daily custom meditation reminders
- Option to consult experts and get a reply within 24 hours
The app claims that 80% of Idanim users reported less stress and anxiety when they included it in their daily routine. You can use the free version or take a 14-day free trial before you upgrade to the premium version.
Let’s Meditate: Relax & sleep
App ratings: 4.7
Downloads: 10 lakh+
Reviews: 66.3k
The Let’s Meditate app has a simple design and easy-to-use interface. You can enjoy guided meditations with zero clutter and no distraction by clicking on the track you want to play. The app contains a curated list of guided meditation tracks on various topics to suit your mood and preference.
Some of the app features include:
- Clean UI and user-friendly interface
- Downloadable meditations which can be used offline
- Sleep stories for relaxation and sound sleep
- Tracker to keep an eye on your progress
- Reminders and snooze options in notifications
- Filters and home screen shortcuts to find your meditations faster
The app is free to use for everyone and comes with no ads. It depends on the donations of the users to keep running.
Vipassana Meditation
App ratings: 4.8
Downloads: 1 lakh+
Reviews: 3.94k
Vipassana Meditation is a meditation app developed by the Vipassana Research Institute. The app offers meditation practices related to the Vipassana technique only. The Vipassana technique focuses on observing and exploring the mind-body phenomena.
During each meditation session, the app allows you to record up to 8 experiences (smell, taste, hearing, touch, vision, brain sensation, etc.) you felt during meditation. After each meditation session, a little window popup shows the stats, which aren’t recorded anywhere and are there only for your reference.
Some other features of the app include:
- Clean and uncluttered interface
- Highly informative with lots of support material
- In-app registration for multiple courses, including 3-day courses, executive courses, children courses, etc., across all Vipassana centers
- Daily logging of meditation for your own personal record
- Desktop-friendly
- Can be used without an internet connection
- Completely open-source
The app is available for free for everyone.
Amaha (InnerHour): Self care
App ratings: 4.3
Downloads: 10 lakh+
Reviews: 28.9k
InnerHour rebranded itself as Amaha recently. The app has been built by trained psychologists and licensed psychiatrists. Amaha’s main focus is to provide a peaceful and calm space where you can cultivate mindfulness and improve your mental health through self-care.
Users can start their mindfulness journey on the app by choosing their concerns first. The concerns include overcoming depression, tackling stress, managing anger, dealing with anxiety, getting better sleep, being happier, etc. The app also has a small personalized assessment where you can understand yourself and your needs better.
Some of its features include:
- 1-month free access to self-care tools
- Soothing and clutter-free interface
- Deep breathing sessions for meditation
- Goal tracker to keep you motivated and also keep a tab on your accomplishments
- Mood Tracker to manage your emotions
- Chatbot assistance
A few features of the app are available for free. However, the paid plan is available at a monthly subscription of $4.99.
Dhyana – Meditation Tracker
App ratings: 3.8
Downloads: 1 lakh+
Reviews: 771
The Dhyana app has been launched by Hyderabad-based Avantari Technologies and is backed by the former badminton champion Pullela Gopichand. To break down your meditation session, the app focuses on three core tenets – breathing, relaxation, and focus.
It also tracks how variable your heartbeat is during the session. The app uses parameters such as Heart Rate Variability (HRV) to tell users how relaxed they are. Some other features of the app include:
- Option to set meditation goals
- Uses the scientific theory of 21 minutes of mindfulness to plan and break down sessions
- Infographics to show your pulse rate, level of focus, and level of achievement
- Graphs to reveal your breathing and focus
- Customized sessions based on your mood and objective
- Allows users to meditate while being on the other apps
The app comes with a physical device, i.e., a wearable ring, to track the effectiveness of your meditation. However, those who don’t want to purchase the ring (priced at INR 6,000) can do the same using their smartphone camera.
How to choose a mediation app that works best for you?
There are many meditation apps available on Playstore or Apple Store that can serve your wellness needs. However, finding the right fit may seem tricky initially. But a few trials and errors can land you your best pal during meditation sessions.
If possible, try understanding your needs and requirements – whether you want a meditation tool, a tracker, stories, podcasts, or added utilities in your app. If not, most apps are beginner-friendly and let you explore your inner self and figure out what works best for you.
The journey to mindfulness is through self-introspection. Give yourself the time and advantage to understand your unique needs and find a meditation app that caters to those needs in the best way possible.
